After Peanut the squirrel's death, what to know about NY wildlife regulations

The controversy over Peanut, the pet squirrel and social media sensation seized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and euthanized last week, has raised questions about who can and should handle wildlife in New York.

Having a squirrel as a pet is illegal in the state and only people with certain wildlife permits can handle and house them. Peanut's owner, Mark Longo of Pine City in western New York, told authorities he was trying to get permits to operate a wildlife center and that he had rescued the squirrel as a baby after its mother was hit by a car about seven years ago. Longo could not be immediately reached for comment.

The DEC declined to comment to Newsday. But the agency said in a statement it was following up on complaints when Peanut — also called P'Nut or PNUT — bit "a person involved in the investigation" and needed to be checked for rabies, which cannot be done on live animals. A pet raccoon named Fred living in the house also was euthanized and tested for rabies.

Results from the rabies tests have not been released.

The incident has sparked outrage locally and around the nation from animal lovers who believe the agents overreacted. Bomb threats have been called into several DEC facilities, as well as proposed legislation, according to media reports.

Here is what you need to know about housing squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife in New York.

Can I have a pet squirrel or raccoon in New York?

No. State regulations say that "no person shall possess any live black, gray or fox squirrel, raccoon" or other wild animals such as opossums, coyotes, weasels, bobcats and red foxes.

Raccoons are also listed as an animal that "presents a danger to the health and welfare of the people of the state ... or indigenous wildlife populations" along with wolverines, badgers, bears, skunks, elephants and others. Wildlife experts also point out that squirrels and raccoons are probably happier in the outdoors than living in a house or apartment.

Who is allowed to handle and house squirrels and raccoons?

Volunteer wildlife rehabilitators licensed by the state are allowed to hold injured wildlife and "provide necessary aid" with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. They cannot "display or exhibit animals to the public." A wildlife rehabilitator who wants to handle bats, raccoons and skunks needs accreditation from the state to be a rabies vector specific wildlife rehabilitator.

Some wildlife centers, such as Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown and the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays have additional permits to keep animals that cannot be released back into the wild because they are too seriously injured or have other issues. The centers care for these animals, house them and work with them to educate the public.

Can I get rabies from a squirrel or a raccoon?

Any mammal can be infected with rabies, according to the state Health Department. But the agency said squirrels, along with chipmunks, rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters, "almost never" get rabies.

Raccoons, along with bats, foxes and skunks, are considered a rabies vector species — animals that can carry and spread the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bats are the most common animal with rabies in the United States and most deaths from rabies in the nation are in people who were exposed to bats.

What should I do if I see a baby squirrel? Can I help it?

Not only are baby squirrels cute, they also will approach people if they are hungry or have been orphaned.

"Those babies instinctively come down from their nests and literally go up to anything that seems alive and try to get food from it," said Janine Bendicksen, director of wildlife rehabilitation for the Sweetbriar Nature Center, which handles scores of orphaned and displaced young squirrels. "We get calls from people who say a squirrel is climbing up their leg. It’s probably starving."

People should call a wildlife rehabilitator for advice and try to help the squirrel return to its natural habitat, she said.

"Mothers do come back for their babies if they blow out of the nest or a predator knocks them out of the nest," Bendicksen said. "The first thing you are going to do is try to reunite it."

But some people are tempted to keep them because they are very affectionate as babies, she said. That attitude changes around adolescence, when they come to sexual maturity and are less docile.

If they are illegal, why are so many squirrels and other wild animals on social media?

In some cases, people on social media are licensed rehabilitators showcasing their work to help animals. However, many are unlicensed and giving people the wrong impression about wild animals, according to John Di Leonardo, president of Humane Long Island, an animal advocacy organization.

"Squirrels and raccoons don’t want to live in a house," he said. "We are seeing more and more people just rehabbing animals when they have no training, no experience and no access to veterinary care. We have a serious rogue rehabber issue throughout New York State and with social media it’s exponentially growing."

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.